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Working G roup o n Urba n Strate gic Planning

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Contents

Ab brevia tio ns ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Summary a nd Rec om mendations ............................................................................................. 6

Rec om mendations to Reg iona l and Loc a l Bod ies ..................................................................... 192 Bac kground ................................................................................................................................. 23

2.1 Steering Com mit te e ........................................................................................................... 232.2 Working Group on Urba n Stra te gic Planning .................................................................. 24

2.2.1 Brief out line of the issues invo lved ............................................................................. 252.2.2 Sug gested Terms o f Referenc e ................................................................................. 262.2.3 Composition of the Working Group .......................................................................... 27

3 Issues Identified by the Working Group .................................................................................... 274 Ap proa c h to Urban Stra teg ic Planning ................................................................................... 305 Expe c te d Outc om es .................................................................................................................. 316 Urba n Stra te gic Planning : Principles ......................................................................................... 327 Existing ac to rs/ ca ta lysts and rec om menda tions .................................................................... 33

7.1 Rec om mendations to G overnm ent of Ind ia ................................................................... 357.2

Rec om mendations to Sta te s ............................................................................................. 39

7.3 Rec om mendations to Regiona l and Loc a l Bod ies ......................................................... 56

8 Case Stud ies ................................................................................................................................ 68


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LB Loc a l Bod y

LDP Loc al Develop me nt Plan

LU Land Use

LUC Land Use Co nversion

MA Metrop olitan Area

MMRDA Mumb ai Metropo litan Reg ional Developme nt Authority

Mo HUPA Ministry of Housing and Urba n Poverty Allevia tion

Mo UD Ministry of Urban Develop ment

MPC Metrop olitan Planning Com mittee

NHAI Nat ional Highwa y Autho rity of Ind ia

NOIDA New Okhla Industrial Develop me nt Autho rity

PPP Pub lic Private Partne rship

PWD Pub lic Works Dep artme nt

RAY Ra jiv Aw as Yoja na

SC Sec toral Co mm ittee

SDC Spa tial Develop me nt Centre

SDP Spa tia l Deve lop me nt Plan

SEC Sta te Elec tion Co mm ission

SEZ Spec ia l Ec onom ic Zone

SPA Sc hoo l of Planning and Architec ture/Spe c ial Planning Area

SPB Sta te Planning Boa rd

SPC Sta te Planning Co mmission

SRTC Sta te Roa d Transport Co rporation


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TCPD Tow n and Co untry Planning Dep artme nt

TCPO Tow n and Co untry Planning Orga nisat ion

TDR Transfer Deve lop ment Righ t

TIF Tax Increment Financ ing

ULB Urban Loc a l Body

UMTA Unified Me trop olitan Transport Authority

URA Urban Red eve lopm ent Autho rity

WC Ward Com mittee

ZP Zilla Panchayat


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1 Summary a nd Rec ommenda tionsUrbanisation has emerged as a key policy and governance challenge in India in

recent years. Cities and towns contribute to more than 60 percent of GDP.

Urba nisat ion is conc om itant to ec onom ic growth. The strong correlation betw een

urbanization and economic development is well-known. While urbanization can be

an engine of economic development and inclusion, unless managed properly, it

can create serious socio-economic consequences and disastrous outcomes which

would be difficult or impossible to fix. With the rapid growth of urban population,

expected to occur as the structural transformation of the Indian economy matures,

and as India m oves to d ouble-digit g rowth, the b ac klog , current a nd g rowth need s

of urbanizat ion need to b e a dd ressed com prehensively. We have to no t only arrest

the deteriorating conditions in cities, but also take advance action for

accommodating urbanisation in a planned manner as India moves from a level of

31 percent to more than 50 percent urbanisation in the next few decades.

Projections suggest that India will have more than 700 million urban population by

the 2040s. There is an urgent need t o a dd ress the lac k of c onsisten t a nd cohe rent

urba n de velopment polic y, faulty and improper urba n planning, coupled with poor

implem entat ion and reg ulation overloa d in Ind ia s c ities. These fac to rs havetransformed many of our cities into chaotic entities that are unlikely to be able to

meet the de ma nds of Indians vision of develop ment in the 21st c entury.

The urba n planning system c urrent ly in vog ue ne ed s to b e restructured to ma ke it

inclusive with a strategic vision, to ensure the integration of physical and socio-

economic planning, transportation and land use planning, and to promote

participation by the people in the planning and development processes in the light

of the 74th Constitution Amendment Act, 1992 envisioning democratic

de centralizat ion a nd po wer to the p eop le. This should be a key vehicle for

achieving the objectives of the 12th Plan faster and more inclusive economic

growth.

The urba n p lanning proc ess must c ombine spa tial planning w ith soc io-ec onom ic

and financial planning, and transportation planning with land use and


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environmental planning to be more responsive to the changing needs and

dem ands of the c itizens. Urban p lanning in Ind ia is a sta te sub jec t and under the 12th

Sched ule of the Constitution 74th Amendment Act, the subject of urban planning,

including town planning has been mandated for the third tier Municipal

Co rporat ions and Munic ipa lities. The subjec t o f reg ional p lanning, howe ver, falls in

the d om ain of the Sta te Gove rnme nts. While the C onstitution 74th Amendment Act

envisag es that the Distric t a nd Met rop olitan Planning C om mittees c onsolidate p lans

for the component urban and rural bodies, they send the draft District and

Metropo lita n Plans to the Sta te G ove rnme nt. The imp lica tion is tha t these p lans are

to b e integ ra ted w ith the Sta te Plans. As pe r the C onstitutiona l ma ndate , the Distric t

and Metropolitan Development Plans have to ensure coordinated spatial planning,

sharing of natural and other resources, integrated provision of infrastructure and

environm ental c onservat ion. These a re area s wh ich req uire gu idelines so as tosynchronise bottom-up and top-down approaches, Moreover, considering that

cities are the engines of economic growth and socio-economic transformation,

there is a need for the Government of India to lay down broad policies and

guidelines with regard to spatio-economic planning and urban development in the

country, espe c ially regiona l plann ing. All the c onstituent Sta tes and Union Territories

should restructure and up date the ir Tow n and Country Planning/ Urban

Development/Municipal Acts and spatio-economic policies in accordance with

these polic y g uidelines. These laws are the ena b ling instruments for undertakingregional and urban planning activities at various levels to meet the challenges of

urbanisation.

Critica l Issues

The Working G roup has ident ified the follow ing as the key prob lem a rea s in the

present urban p lanning system .

1. Lack of Comprehensive Planning Approach: The p resent ma ste r p lann ingap proac h ge nerally focused on only the co re a rea of the c ity, without proper

urban growth vision and strategy to connect/integrate the peri-urban and

rural areas within a regional framework. Lack of regional planning approach

has led to haphazard growth and proliferation of slums around industrial

locations and peri-urban areas, and randomly located new developments

suc h a s SEZs and townships.


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2. Rigid Planning Process:The p lanning p roc ess c arried out throug h ma ster plansin Indias cities is rigid and deterministic. It lacks the integration of spatial

planning (including transportation and land use planning) with sectoral

planning. Master plans have aimed to be too detailed and therefore, even

after years of plan preparation exercise, zonal plans have not been

com pleted . Resulting ly, the growth of cities has ove rta ken the planne rs by

surprise and the livability of cities has degraded with unplanned urbanization,

conge stion a nd environmenta l deg rad ation.

3. Lack of Plan-Finance Linkage:Master Plans in the past have been utopian,without linkage to any financing and operating strategy. Planned urban

de velopm ent lead s to inc rea ses in ta x ba ses, espe c ially those related to land .

Ma ster p lans d id no t a ddress the financ ing issues in a m ea ningful ma nner as a

result of which plan implementation has lagged behind plan targets

significantly.

4. Inadequate Institutional Clarity:The existing institut iona l frame work for urbanplanning a nd go vernanc e do esnt spe c ify c learly the roles and respo nsib ilities

of the Sta te Government, pa rasta ta ls like Wate r Supply and Sew erag e

Boards, Improveme nt Trusts, Urba n Developme nt Authorities, Distric t Planning

Committee (DPC)/Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) and urban and

rural local governments in plan preparation, implementation, enforcementand monitoring.

5. Lac k of Cap ac ity and Enab ling Too ls: A major impediment to effectiveregional and urban planning system in India is the lack of human resources,

and ena bling too ls such a s GIS and GIS-enab led Ma nag ement Information

Systems (MIS). The p lan proc ess is often not p articipa to ry. The lac k of

accountability and participation of the people and elected local

government representatives in the planning process also hindered the

effec tiveness of the plan-ma king and implementat ion p roc esses.

Approach to Urban Strateg ic Planning

The Working Group a do pte d the fo llow ing as the key differentiato rs be twe en the

existing approach to planning and the recommended strategic approach to

planning:


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1. Vision-led:The a pp roa c h should g enerate a qua lita tive vision o f the c ity inthe framework of c ity reg ions future b ased on a sound pa rticipa tory proc ess

to articulate the aspirations and needs of people from all spheres, including

the c ommo n ma n. The fo rmulation of strateg ies evo lved from suc h a vision

will mean a more flexible, responsive and most importantly, an inclusive

p lanning p arad igm. This is a step aw ay from the e xisting p lan-ma king p roc ess

which relies exhaustingly on analysing the past trends, technicalities and

mechanical formulations.

2. Comprehensive and integrated: The e xisting systems of d evelopme ntplanning and spatial planning operate on a distinctly disjoint and parallel

fashion with little or no inte rac tion. The p lanning approa ch should a ddress all

sectors of development and spatial planning together in a holistic and

integ rate d fram ework ensuring integ rat ion of sec toral and spa tial planning.3. Urban rural integration in a regional framework: A strategic approach to

urban planning will start with a macro perspective at the national/state level

and then at regional level to guide urbanization and rural development in an

integ rated and holistic m anne r. This com prehensive ap proach should then

eventually pave way for sustainable settlement planning emphasising on

human living environment rather than overtly concentrating on built

environment and the ac com pa nying ad ministrat ive struc tures. It w ill integ rate

top-down and bottom-up ap proaches.

District and Metropolitan Development Plans are envisaged to ensure

integ rate d rural and urba n p lanning. They need to ensure spa tial planning in

a coordinated manner, sharing of natural and other resources, integrated

provision of infrastructure and conservation of the environment. Detailed

planning need s to b e left to the urban a nd rural loc al bodies.

Princip les of Urban Strategic Planning

The Working Group ha s a lso a rticulated p rinciple of urba n strate gic p lanning one

would like to see at the end of the 12 th FYP period, with respect to urban strategic

planning:

1. Smart Growth: Planning should be based on smart growth principle thatconcentrates growth in select city centres to avoid haphazard urban sprawl


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and costly extension o f urba n infrastructure fac ilities to fa r-off a rea s. This

advocates compact, transit-oriented, walk-to-work, bicycle-friendly land use

to the extent possible, including neighbourhood schools, streets and

amenities that cater to everyone; mixed-use development with a range of

housing choice s; and foc us on p ublic transpo rt;

2. Existing Cities - Strategic densifica tion: Cities in India have precariously lowFloor Spac e Index. Sub jec t to d eve lopm ent o f suppo rting infrastructure, there

is need for selective densification of city centres, creating agglomeration

economies and generating resources for financing infrastructure;

3. Sett ing Priorities: Ma ke the best use of ava ilable infrastructure netwo rks orextend the sam e to c rea te susta inab le settleme nt p at terns:

a. Spec ial or strategic foc us on National Priority, State Priority cities andcities that are Generators of Econom ic Growth Momentum (GEM).Resources are scarce and they should b e d irec ted tow ards c ities tha t

are capable generating agglomeration economies and inclusive

ec onomic growth faster.

4. Development of (i) New cities along the National Transport/ Industrial GrowthCorridors (Golden Quadrilateral and other Corridors) forming the national

spatial grid structure, (ii) Ring towns connec ted with major growing c ities by

limited access high speed rad ial and orbita l transpo rt ne tworks such a s MTRS

and BRTS and (ii) Twin-c ities - High spe ed c ommute r rail connec tivity betwee nlarge primate city and growing secondary cities (e.g., between Bengaluru

and Mysore) located within the distance of 100-200 km.

5. Regional and urban planning as an instrument for guiding inclusive growth spatial and development planning should cover metropolitan regions,

p lanning a rea s of c ities (ma y be 5-8 kilome ters a round existing large c ities, say

those with more than 3 lakh population transportation networks to be

central piec es of planning to lea d de velop ment.

6.

Integrated Land use and transport planning to optimise the functional andspa tial linkage s be twe en housing, wo rkplac es and com merc ial areas; enab le

cities to harness the benefits and agglomeration and minimise congestion;

ad op t trip red uc tion zoning a nd densific at ion of transit no de s and c orridors in

addition to conservation of natural and heritage resources as part of the

planning pa rad igm .


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7. Planning in consonance with the income distribution structure of the cityregion with the urban poor located near public transport nodes/links and

providing space for the urban poor in master plans for living, selling and

wo rking - at c ity, zone and loc a l levels.

8. Effective land ma nag ement in which growth is enabled to generateresources for planned urba n deve lopment.

9. Strengthening the Institutiona l frame work for reg iona l and urban p lanningadopting the regime of 74th CAA

10.Creating c apa c ity at c ity/ tow n, sta te, c entral and institutiona l level for spa tialand soc io-eco nomic de velopment planning.

Key Rec om mend ations on Urban Stra teg ic Planning

Based on the extensive analysis, discussions and meetings, the Working Group has

set o ut below m ajor rec om mend at ions on urban strateg ic planning which sets out a

framework for urban planning in cities and towns of India adopting a regional

p lanning framew ork. The fo llow ing is a summa ry of recom me ndations of the Working

Group.

Rec ommend ations to Gove rnment o f India

Strategic Plan Preparation

1. Prepare a National Spa tial Strategy cove ring National Transpo rtation Gridsand National Priority Cities, proposed new cities along emerging industrial

and high-tec h Growth C orrido rs/ Transpo rta tion Grids c onnec ted to central

cities with a high speed rail network and likely to generate agglomeration

forc es. The strateg y should d efine the broad morpho logy o f the future

urbanization needs - with existing cities, their peripheral extensions and new

c ities to be de velope d along the g row th/ transpo rt c orrido rs. The new c ities ongrowth corridors need to be located near existing large/metropolitan

c ities/ growth c entres connec ted withhigh-spee d transit networks so tha t they

can take advantages of the agglomeration forces. Development of new

cities will require a range of fiscal incentives, industrial location policy and


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development transit networks high speed rail network along the proposed

highw ay d evelop ment c orrido rs.

2. Provide a major thrust to Regional and Urban Planning and preparation ofDistric t, Metropo litan and City Spa tial and Deve lopment Plans through

strateg ic guidelines and financ ial support. The regiona l p lans ma y be in the

form o f structure plans.

3. Strategic Densification of Cities. The density regulat ions in Ind ian c ities a rearchaic and dont address the needs of the present day demands of the

urban soc iety. In fa c t, Indian c ities have the lowe st Floor Space Index (FSI) in

the w orld. Strateg ic de nsific ation a s a planning strateg y need to be pursued

to accommodate future urbanisation. Government of India may introduce

incentives that encourage states and cities to pursue this strategy for future

urban development. However, this strategy needs to go hand in hand with

infrastruc ture de velopm ent within the c ity fa c ilita ted by flexible zoning.

4. Urban Renewal and Regeneration: Polic y should p rovide b roa d fram ework tofacilitate the process of urban regeneration/ renewal within the generic

principle tha t the grow th w ould pay for itself. This wo uld require a flexible

planning a pp roa ch and seed cap ital supp ort.

Financ ing o f Plan Prepa ration & Implementation

5. Assist National Priority Cities to create regional and urban planning capacityunder New Improved JNNURM and prepare strategic plans with 100 per cent

funding from the Centre.

6. Assist State Priority and GEM cities to create regional and urban planningcapacity under New Improved JNNURM and prepare strategic plans with 50

per cent funding from the Centre and 50 percent from State .

The c ities have to b e selec ted ba sed on objec tive c riteria through expe rt

com mittees invo lving the Centra l and Sta te Governments. The p lans must

have a clear financing and operating plan clubbing own resources, state

sha re, c ent ra l share and institutiona l finance/ PPP.


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Tec hnical and Cap ac ity Building Suppo rt

7. Government of India need to invest in a program for developing a set ofvendors of planning services who can conform to the requisite standards

anywhere in the country. A large number of planning firms already exist in the

count ry as a result of the ma rket c rea ted by JNNURM d uring the last 5-6 yea rs.

Their cap ac ities can be built up and enhanced throug h NIJNNURM.

8. A ma jor program o n capa c ity b uilding a nd networkingneed to b e launchedby the Government of India to strengthen technical capacity of existing

planning institutions of states, and create on-line and off-line platforms to

share knowledg e netwo rk on spatial planning. The Working Group end orsed

the recommendations of the High Powered Expert Committee for estimating

the investment req uirem ent for urban infrastructure.

a. Set ting up o f five Indian Institutes of Urban Manage me nt, which c ouldbe standalone institutions of excellence.

b. Create a Reform a nd Performanc e Mana ge ment Ce ll (RPMC) in theGovernment of India (and at state level and in large cities) with a

multidisc iplinary tea m und ertaking a c tivities like:

c . Promote think tank initiatives in urban policy through Centres ofExce llenc e/ Innovation in existing institutions

d. Dec lare lea d ing institutions as Cente rs of Exce llenc ee. Crea te a Schem e fo r fund ing Strate gic (Spa tial) Planning Resea rc h

through Centers of Exce llenc e

f. Create an a nnual forum for sharing o f resea rch outc omesg. Establish new schools of planning and enhance capacity of existing

ones

h. Producing new breed of professionals and training the resources whoare a lrea dy c arrying out these func tions.

i. Fund ing fo r tra ining & c ertific at ion of in-servic e p ersonnel as we ll as forprod uc ing more planning professiona ls

j. Funding for creation of state level data infrastructure for planningshould be provided under NIJNNURM


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10% of New JNNURM central allocation may be earmarked for capacity building

and prepa rat ion of M etropo litan Develop ment a nd City Strateg ic Plans. To sta rt w ith,

strategic plans should be p rep ared for all Nationa l and Sta te Priority Cities and GEM

cities (in a phased manner). An expert committee jointly coordinated by the

Ministries of Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation

supp orted by a full-fled ged tec hnical ce ll may guide the c ap ac ity building and plan

preparation processes.

Rec omme nda tions to State Governments

Legal Framework

9. Revise the nomenclature of Master Plan to Spatial and Development Plan :currently most c om mon te rm used for the p lan of c ities is ma ster plan which

is both limited in outcome and over-bearing in perception and prescription.

The Sta te Gove rnme nt need s to revise the nom enc lature of Master Plan to

Spa tial and Developm ent Plan so as to c ap ture both the spa tial and soc io-

ec onomic d evelop ment aspe c ts of the planning. The nome nc lature is

important to provide focus on what the plan is to deliver rather than

co mmunic ating a com mand a nd control c oncep t.

10.States to revise Town and Country Planning , Urba n Deve lopment a ndMunicipal Acts to respond to the challenges of urbanization and to policy

thinking appropriate to the times based on principles of urban strategic

planning:ma ny sta tes have ena c ted Town and Country Planning a nd Urba n

Development Acts, Many of these acts are legacy of colonial influence

guided in part by tw o Mo del Ac ts the Mod el Town and Country Planning

Law of 1960 and the m od el Reg iona l and Town Planning a nd Deve lopment

Law o f 1966 and its update o f 1985.These Ac ts nee d t o reviewe d a nd revised

to respo nd to the c ha lleng es of the p resent d ays of urba nisat ion. The

rec om mende d revision/ establishment of Tow n a nd Country Planning

Acts/Municipal Acts should provides a broad framework, within the purview

of the 74th CAA, to address the present day challenges of urbanisation with

ent renc hing planning func tions and o b jec tives into munic ipa l system. The

Urban Development Acts and Urban Development Plan Formulation


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Guidelines need to b e c hang ed to suit the need s of fa ster and mo re inclusive

growth.

The G ove rnme nt o f Ind ia may assist the Sta te G overnments in mod el law

formulation.

Plan Preparation

11.Constitute/ revamp State Planning Board (SPB) At the level of the state, astrategic development vision should provide guidance for the district and

metropolitan spatial plans, ensuring a seamless integration of state

de velopm ent p riorities into distric t/ me trop olitan deve lop ment plans. All sta tes

must revive and strengthen where constituted, or constitute where not

constituted - Sta te Planning Boa rds tha t a re m and ated with the p rep aration

of sta tewide strate gic Sta te Spa tial and Deve lopm ent Plans or Sta te Spat ial

Plans. These p lans must reflec t the sta te a nd c ent ra l gove rnme nts' econo mic ,

infrastructure and social development priorities and resource allocations,

which will be an input document for the plans of the lower levels of

government. The rec om me nded Sta te Planning Boards should wo rk c losely

with Sta te Planning C ommission a nd provide g uida nce to met rop olita n and

district development plans to ensure seamless integration of these plans with

the state level spa tial and de velopment plan.

The Sta te Planning Boa rd (SPB) should ove rsee tha t the spatial d eve lopm ent

plans for the state are prepared in a timely manner as prescribed; approve

plans of DPCs and MPCs; prepare or get prepared plans by default when

there is no a c ting Planning Authority; and ac t a s arbitrator for conflic ting land

uses betw een p lans.

Tec hnica l assista nc e to SPB ma y be provided by the Sta te Tow n Co untry

Planning Department (TCPD). The rec om mendations of the Sta te Planning

Boa rd must d rive the investment p riorities of the Sta te Planning Comm ission

(SPC). The Cha irperson of the SPB should be part of t he SPC so tha t there is

informed decision making on the investment priorities based on the spatial

deve lopm ent p lan of the SPB.


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12.Constitute MPC/ DPC to p repa re Metropo litan/ Distric t Spa tial Deve lopm entPlan. Under the Constitution, the DPC/MPCs are supposed to consolidate

the d raft d eve lop ment plan o f the d istric t/ me trop olitan a rea . The c onstitution

is unclear on whether this plan is to be accepted by the government, and if

so, by when. It is op en to day, for a Sta te to rejec t or ignore the

Distric t/ Me tropo lita n Plan, whether spa tial o r othe rwise, c om pletely. This is to

be c larified and de signed properly, in the Planning Ac t.

The Sta te Government shou ld a lso not ify Distric ts/ Metropolitan Areas,

municipalities, and panchayats as "Planning Areas" and notify their respective

authorities as sole Planning Authorities. While, as an interim measure, it is

recommended that the existing Metropolitan and Urban Development

Authorities may prepare all the 3-tier plans within the district, the

establishment o f long-term struc tures need to be put in p lac e.

The Draft Developm ent Plan (DP) to be produced by the MPC/DPC requires

that due attention be paid to (1) integrate rural and urban through

coordinated spatial planning; (2) covers all matters of common interest to

municipa lities and the pa nchaya ts; (3) ta ke into c onsideration a ll investme nts

likely from various sources and sharing of resources; (4) facilitate integrated

development of infrastructure, and (5) ensure environmental conservation.

The plan a t this level is a strategic plan serving the long-te rm inte rest o f the

distric t/ me tro a rea as a who le o ver a 20 year period horizon. It m ay b e in the

form of a structural p lan.

In order for the MPC/DPC to deliver on this mandate it must be empowered

with adequate sovereign authority. Currently no such provisions are made in

the existing statutes and in fact a number of statutes that have been written

pre -74th Amendment to Constitution are in contradiction and need to be

reviewed and revised to b e in line with the 74th Ame ndm ent Ac t.

13.Transfer planning function to loc al bod ies:At p resent , in many sta tes p lanningfunction is entrusted with urban development authorities or some other state

level entities. Many states have not transferred the planning function to the

urba n loc al bo dies, as ma nda ted by the 12th Sched ule o f the 74th Constitution

Amendment Act, 1992. It is recommended that all the state should transfer


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the planning function to the urban local bodies to enable them to prepare

deve lopm ent plan in a pa rtic ipa tive ma nner.

14.Restruc ture the Role of the Deve lopment Authorities. Developm ent Authorities(DA) are currently responsible for developing plans for the metropolitan

reg ion and of the me trop olitan c ities. To this end , the Develop ment

Authorities technical capabilities as a metropolitan level planner and

regulator must b e strengthened .

Metropolitan Development Authority role need to be restructured and it

should ac t as tec hnical arm of the MPC. Metropo litan Developm ent Autho rity

may be vested with the responsibility of enforcing and regulating the

Development Plan, and be the appellate authority for conflict resolutions on

the Spatia l Plans for all Loc al Planning Authorities in the me tro reg ion. This is in

keep ing w ith the letter and spirit of the Constitutiona l Ame ndm ent Ac t whe re

the DA's role is as the fac ilitator to t he p lanning p roc ess. For all cities above 3

lakhs po pulat ion, planning for a c ity de velopment area ma y inc lude c ity

proper and peripheral area, say 5-8 kilometres for which the Urban

Developm ent Authority c an service the Area Planning Com mittee (similar to

Metropolitan Planning Co mmittee ),

Given the changed mandate of Development Authority, it is critical that it is

relieved from the functions and responsibilities related to project

implementation and land development so as to avoid any conflict of interest

between the roles of planner/regulator, and that of project implementer or

deve lope r. This includes its role a s an infrastructure deve lope r for reg ion, and

as a land ba nk owner in the region.

All land pa rcels owned by the Developm ent Authorities must b e transferred to

the respe c tive loc al go vernments.

15.Streamline the Procurement Process.State Gove rnments should c rea te sta te-wide list fo r Emp anelled Urban Prac tice Professional Institutions who c an be

accessed by ULBs without having to go through tedious and repetitive

proc urement proc ed ure. In ad dition, the Sta te Governments need to


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prepare standardised procurement documents for key urban

infrastructure/services development activities including potential PPP

struc tures.

16.Estab lish institutional ownership for GIS data in Sta te Urban Informa tionSystems In o rder to c rea te c red ible, useful, successful spat ial de velop me nt

plans, and collect and analyze data in a systematized, standardized and

transpa rent ma nner.

Plan Implem entation

17.Estab lish a system of Guaranteed Land Title Ac t. One of the majorimpediments to planning process in India is unclear land records and title

syste m. To a ddress the issue of land title state governments may establish a

system of Guaranteed Land Title Ac t as per the MoUDs Framework Law, 2011

that provides security of tenure to immovable property. The rec omm ende d

system o f Gua ranteed Land Title Ac t ma y ena b le a system of righ ts to land

and prope rty. This wo uld e nab le loc al bo dies to m ove tow ards be tter land

ma nag eme nt a nd registration.

Plan Monitoring

18.Estab lish Office of Om bud sma n. Sta te G ove rnme nt should e stab lish an O fficeof a Metropolitan/District Ombudsman that would look into complaints of

corruption and maladministration against functionaries of local bodies, both

elec ted memb ers and officials. The Ombud sma n would me diate any

conflicts between citizens and specific authorities.

Plan Financ ing

19.Provide adequate resources for plan preparation to produce highly complextechnical outputs like plans/budgets/projects. Preparation this kind of plans

need not only financial support but also supporting systems that include

financ ial and t rained t ec hnical resources


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Tec hnica l and Cap ac ity Building Supp ort

20.Sta te g ove rnment need to d evelop revised leg islation, and de ta iled standa rdoperating procedures for all the processes mandated by law, to ensure

consistenc y in p lanning p roc esses. Sta te g ove rnme nts a lso need to p rov ide

guidance on strategic spatial plan development, policies for revenue land

(conversion, acquisition), environment, heritage, transport, affordable

housing, etc

21.Estab lish Indian Institutes of Urban Management to support regional andurba n p lanning and ma nag ement ac tivities in c ities and tow ns. These

institutes should b e esta blished with the he lp of the Governme nt of India.

Rec om menda tions to Reg ional and Loc al Bod ies

Plan Preparation

22.Prepare detailed SDPs reflecting Vision, Land Use (LU) and DevelopmentControl Regulations (DCRs)

Spat ial Deve lopm ent Plans contain two key aspe c ts: Land Use (em erging out

of a vision); and Deve lopment Co ntrol Reg ulat ions (DCR). The SDP of the

District and Metropolitan Planning area must reflect the strategic vision of

de velopm ent a nd susta inab ility for the ent ire reg ion. Eac h municipa lity and

panchayat must also produce the third tier of plans at the level of the ward

and these p lans are d etailed as per the DCRs and LU of the tier-2 SDP of t he

Municipality/Panchayat plan. Building bylaws which are under the functional

domain of, the Corporation/Council/Panchayat, are to be the mandate of

the munic ipa lity but throug h a sep arate d ivision, not as part of the SDP.

23.MPC/ DPCs spa tial deve lopment plans to be p repa red with sec toralparticipation. It is rec omm ende d that the MPC/ DPC need to ha ve Sec tor

Consolidation Committees to consolidate the sectoral plans that emerge

from the participatory process generated by lower tiers of local government

in the me trop olitan area . The a ma lga ma tion of these sec toral plan w ill form

the basis for the p rep ara tion of MDP/ DDP.


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24.Estab lish a Unified Metropolitan Transit Autho rity for Metropolitan Areas.Esta b lish a UMTA as a te chnica l age nc y that c an help a ll p lanning bod ies in

the MA, and work with the LBs to prepare integrated transport plans for the

reg iona l and loc a l gove rnme nts. The UMTA p lans wo uld p rov ide the input fo r

prepa ring transit o riented land use zoning and de velopm ent.

25.Estab lish a Unified Metropolitan Water Authority in Me trop olitan A reas. Giventha t wa ter is a key resource fo r huma n survival in grow ing urban area s and fo r

the agricultural economy in rural areas, the fair and equitable access to

surfac e wa te r resou rc es, its d istribut ion a c ross jurisd ictions, as well as

appropriate regulatory measures for sourcing, pricing, ground water

extraction and replenishment, will require inter-jurisdiction planning across

loca l governments, at the reg ional level. This wo uld require a spec ialisedautho rity like Unified Me tropolitan Water Authority to dea l with these issues.

26.Specialised Cells in Metropolitan Areas: Establish Unified MetropolitanEnvironment Cell, Unified Metropolitan Heritage Cell and Directorate of

Metropo lita n Econo mics and Sta tistics in Metropolitan Areas to p rov ide

specialised services such as environmental safeguards, obtaining required

clearances on plan notification from state and central agencies, regulating

and enforcing environment and heritage related statutes, and creating

da tab ase for plan preparation.

27.Create Co mp rehensive Database on Urban Services and E-Governanc eSystems, to aid the SDP preparation process. The MPC/ DPC assisted by the

Sta te Government should de velop a sta nda rd a nd c omprehensive urba n e-

gove rnanc e p ac kage. This can be prepared by e xam ining best p rac tices of

e-gove rnanc e system s alrea dy b eing unde rtaken in the municipa lities in the

MA and integrating GoI's initiatives on e-governance. GoI may develop

mode ls tha t c an b e a pp lied ac ross c ities.


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Plan Implem entation

28.Emp ower Ward Comm ittees in munic ipa lities through Area Sab ha struc tures.Wards must be empowered to contribute to the planning process through

loc al p lans that reflec t, correspo nd and guide the Spa tial Plan. The Mod el

Activity Mapping document that has been provided by the Ministry of Urban

Development can serve as the template for the distribution of functions

ac ross the t iers of ULB, Ward Comm ittee a nd Area Sabha , for ea ch of the

func tions being d evo lved to the ULB.

29.Establish participatory structures of Area SabhasAll urban local bodies mustestablish decentralised structures for participation in the plan preparation and

enfo rc em ent . These structures will ensure tha t the me asures of a c countab ility

flow outward to the citizens rather than upwards to the higher levels of

government.

30.Develop Participatory Planning Processes in ULBs. Active citizen participationin urban a rea s must b e through the structures of A rea Sabhas in the

neighbo urhood, a nd Ward Com mittees at the w ard level. The p roc ess and

structure should ensure that ULBs prepare Ward Plan Budget in line with the

tem plate prepa red by the Ministry of Urba n Developm ent.

31.Decentralise enforcement of the SDPs. Emp ow ering loc al bo dies to p lan mustextend to plan enforcement otherwise they will be unable to carry out their

plan. The enforceme nt should follow a d ec entralized b otto m-up ap proach

with MPC/ DPC a c ting as the third level of enforc ement

32.Establish Citizen Chartersthe recommended Citizen Charters should containcomprehensive information on service levels for all urban services, including

specification of time limits for approvals relating to regulatory services such as

lic enses and permits. The C harter shou ld a lso spec ify the relief a va ilab le to the

c itizens in c ase of no n-adhe renc e.

33.Enable Loc al Bodies to indepe ndently hire a nd rec ruit planning/ technicalresources Local bodies to be empowered to hire for any position

inde pe nde ntly in a transpa rent m anner and lateral hiring m ust b e a llowed


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34.Create a Single Window System at loc al body level, for plan sanc tion andbuilding approvals. Each municipa lity should have its ow n "Single-Window

Service Ce ntres", and all p lan sanc tions and a pprova ls from c ent re, sta te ,

and loca l gove rnments should b e fa c ilitated throug h this one-window system .

Multiple sets of p lans c an be submitte d for the m ultiple a pprova ls at this single

window of the municipality and its plan area. In case of a rejected plan, the

owner has recourse with the Ombudsman. In the case of development

projects in the panchayats, a common district / metropolitan single-window

service centre can be thought of, and local governments should be brought

under one umbrella by establishing one stop service centres.

The Sta te Go vernment should set up an "Urba n Services Strea mlining Task

Force" to examine and suggest simplification of Development Control

Regulations, procedures and transparency in all ULB plan sanctioning

activities

Plan Monitoring

35.Land Use Conversion (LUC) procedure needs to be amended to allowconversion only as per spatial plan zoning prescribed. Any LUC approval at

the level of the district or metropolitan city must follow the

Metropolita n/ Distric t SDP and spat ial plans of loc a l gove rnme nts. If a c hange

to the plan is proposed, it must be routed through the Panchayat /

Municipa lity co ncerned , and ap proved through co nsensus.

36. Pass Disclosure Law and Publish Performance Standards Everymunicipal authority in the Metropolitan Area/district must comply with the

requirements of the Disclosure law, and publish quarterly statements of

performance, including financial statements and annual audited financial

sta teme nts, as well as Service Level Benchmarks (SLBs) a s def ined by MOUD,

GOI. All planning entities - DPCs, MPCs, Municipal Authorities must make

quarterly disclosure of all planning-related sanctions and procedures.


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2 Background2.1 Steering Co mmitteeUrbanisation has emerged as a key policy and governance challenge in India in

recent years. Cities and towns contribute to more than 60 percent of GDP.

Urba nisat ion is conc om itant to ec onom ic growth. The strong correlation betw een

urbanization and economic development is well-known. While urbanization can be

an engine of economic development and inclusion, unless managed properly, it

can create serious socio-economic consequences and disastrous outcomes which

would be difficult or impossible to fix. With the rapid growth of urban population,

expected to occur as the structural transformation of the Indian economy matures,

and as India m oves to d ouble-digit g rowth, the b ac klog , current a nd g rowth need s

of urbanizat ion need to b e a dd ressed com prehensively. We have to no t only arrest

the deteriorating conditions in cities, but also take advance action for

accommodating urbanisation in a planned manner as India moves from a level of

31 percent to more than 50 percent urbanisation in the next few decades.

Projections suggest that India will have more than 700 million urban population by

the 2040s. There is an urgent need t o a dd ress the lac k of c onsisten t a nd cohe rent

urba n de velopment polic y, faulty and improper urba n planning, coupled with poor

implem entat ion and reg ulation overloa d in Ind ia s c ities. These fac to rs have

transformed many of our cities into chaotic entities that are unlikely to be able to

meet the de ma nds of Indians vision of develop ment in the 21st c entury.

Since faster, susta inab le and mo re inc lusive grow th is the ma jor ob jec tive of 12th

plan, a well planned urban development can be a key vehicle for achieving this

ob jec tive in a more inclusive m anner. With a view to guide the p lanned urba nisat ion

in India during the 12th Plan a Stee ring Com mittee on Urba n Development

Ma nag ement has be en c onstituted unde r the chairma nship of Shri Arun Ma ira ,

Memb er, Planning Com mission. The Terms of Refe renc e o f the Steering Comm ittee

inc lude the follow ing:


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i. To c ritica lly evaluate the c halleng es of urbanizat ion in India and evolve avision and a pp roa ch for ma nag ing the sam e during the 12th plan p eriod .

ii. To d raw a fram ework and roa d ma p for ensuring that different layers ofGovernme nts, i.e. Cent ral, Sta te a nd City, func tion systema tica lly in c lose

coordination of each other by drawing long term urban strategic planning

which along with spe c ific conte xt of municipa l limits enc om pa sses the o verall

regional planning perspective including the rural areas falling within the zone

of influenc e of urban a gg lomerations.

iii. To rec ommend strate gies for imp roving urban g ove rnanc e w hich ensuresmanagerial efficiency, accountability and responsibilities and is appropriate

for ad dressing the future need of Indian c ities

iv. To sugg est mea sures for building ad eq uate c ap ac ity, espe c ially at Sta te a ndULB level to m ee t the c ha lleng es of urba niza tion.

v. To recom mend measures for ensuring e ffic ient and affo rda ble p ublic urba ntransport to incent ivize shift from private to p ub lic transport.

vi. To recom mend strateg ies for ac celerat ing the c rea tion of job op po rtunities inurban areas for meeting the twin objectives of faster as well as inclusive

ec onomic growth.

vii. To sugg est a nd rec omme nd measures for imp rovement in delivery of urbanbasic services to the citizens, particularly the poor with specific reference to

the provision of affordable housing.viii. To suggest strateg ies for ensuring e nvironmenta l susta inab ility of urba n areas

while maintaining a high rate o f growth.

ix. To sugge st m ea sures for mo b ilizing a deq uate financ ial resources for guidedurbanization.

x. To review the p erformanc e a nd unde rtake imp ac t a ssessment of c entralschemes/ program mes espe c ially Jawaha rlal Nehru National Urba n Renew al

Mission (JNNURM) and suggest suitable form and guidelines of new scheme

whic h may b e launched under 12th

Plan.

2.2 Working Group on Urban Strategic PlanningIn the context o f fo rmula tion o f the Twe lfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017), it w as

de c ide d to c onstitute a Working G roup on Urba n Strate gic Planning under the


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cha irpersonship o f Sec reta ry, MoHUPA. The w orking Group wo uld b e serviced by

MoHUPA.

2.2.1 Brief outline of the issues involvedUrban policy framework in India is out of sign with the economic and demographic

imperatives. A huge urban land shortage a rtific ially c rea ted b y out mod elled

planning models and consequent housing shortages and growth of slums, chaotic

transport, unequal municipal finances and governance, untidy informal irregular

growth, huge infrastructure shortages, water logging and open defecation disease

are som e visible prob lems of urba n planning in Ind ia.

The urba n planning system c urrently in vogue need s to b e restructured to ma ke it

inclusive with a strategic vision, to ensure the integration of physical and socio-

economic planning, transportation and land use planning, and to promote

participation by the people in the planning and development processes in the light

of the 74th Constitution Amendment Act, 1992 envisioning democratic

de centralizat ion a nd po wer to the p eop le. This should be a key vehicle for

achieving the objectives of the 12th Plan faster and more inclusive economic

growth.

The urba n p lanning proc ess must c ombine spa tial planning w ith soc io-ec onom ic

and financial planning, and transportation planning with land use and

environmental planning to be more responsive to the changing needs and

dem ands of the c itizens. Urban planning in Ind ia is a sta te sub jec t and und er the 12th

Sched ule of the Constitution 74th Amendment Act, the subject of urban planning,

including town planning has been mandated for the third tier Municipal

Co rporat ions and Munic ipa lities. The subjec t o f reg ional p lanning, howe ver, falls in

the d om ain of the Sta te Gove rnme nts. While the C onstitution 74th Amendment Act

envisag es that the Distric t a nd Met rop olitan Planning C om mittees c onsolidate p lans

for the component urban and rural bodies, they send the draft District and

Metropo lita n Plans to the Sta te G ove rnme nt. The imp lica tion is tha t these p lans are

to b e integ ra ted w ith the Sta te Plans. As pe r the C onstitutiona l ma ndate , the Distric t

and Metropolitan Development Plans have to ensure coordinated spatial planning,

sharing of natural and other resources, integrated provision of infrastructure and

environm ental c onservat ion. These a re area s wh ich req uire gu idelines so as to


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synchronise bottom-up and top-down approaches, Moreover, considering that

cities are the engines of economic growth and socio-economic transformation,

there is a need for the Government of India to lay down broad policies and

guidelines with regard to spatio-economic planning and urban development in the

country, espe c ially regiona l plann ing. All the c onstituent Sta tes and Union Territories

should restructure and up date the ir Tow n and Country Planning/ Urban

Development/Municipal Acts and spatio-economic policies in accordance with

these polic y g uidelines. These laws are the ena b ling instruments for undertaking

regional and urban planning activities at various levels to meet the challenges of

urbanisation.

2.2.2 Suggested Terms of Referenc e

The fo llow ing points we re no ted as issues to b e a dd ressed by the w orking group on

urba n strateg ic p lanning:

1) The urban land a nd land use po lic y is outmo ded . The p lanning proc ess in urbanarea s is weak and has stymied the g row th o f c ities.

2) Urban Planning must combine robust spatial planning with development goalsand version infrastructure planning (including urban transport), socio-economic

and env ironm ental planning and risk mitiga tion ag ainst hazards. It must given

the spa tial planning to the d evelopment p lan.

3) Urba n planning a lso nee ds to b e mad e more respo nsive to chang ing need s andchanging population share by income distribution with special focus to the

need s to the urban p oo r.

4) The existing foc us on expa nsion o f to wns in isola tion o f their hinte rland s nee ds tobe reoriented to tha t of the region.

5) Within the region, aim should be to identify towns or growing villages withlocational or natural resource advantages in order to focus future socio

economic and spatial growth in such nodes by guided investment of funds for

infrastructure a nd industria l growth.

6) Spat ial planning should a lso inc lude op erationa lising the prov isions of the Tow n &Country Planning Ac t, for the rural hinterland of the tow ns, by laying dow n c lear

and simple guidelines for the country or the Panchayat areas, with specific

reference to the p eri-urba n a rea s.


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7) Regional Planning must be so redesigned as to prevent the shift of function ofregulation of urban planning within a regional master plan to the 3 rd tier as per

the Constitutional provisions.

2.2.3 Composition of the Working GroupChairperson: Smt Kiran Dhing ra

Shri Arun Kumar Misra, Sec retary, MoHUPA

Members:

Shri G.S. Sand hu, Princ ipa l Sec reta ry, Dep artment o f UD &

Housing, Go vt of Ra jastha n, Jaipur

Member

Ms. Swa ti Rama na tha n, Ind ia Urban Space, Banga lore Memb er

Prof. A.K. Sharma, Direc tor, Schoo l of Planning a nd Architec ture,

New Delhi

Member

Ms. Nisha Singh, Joint Sec reta ry (UD), Mo UD, Go I Me mb er

Prof. EFN Ribe iro, Cha irman, Boa rd of Governors, SPA Bhopa l Member

Ms. Uma Ad usumili, Chief, Plann ing Division, MMRDA, Mum bai Me mb er

Prof. Shiva na nd Swami, Assoc iate Direc to r, CEPT Unive rsity,

Ahmedabad

Member

Shri I.P. Ga utam , Municipa l Comm issioner, Ahme da ba d Mem be rShri. J.B. Kshirsagar, Ch ief Planne r, TCPO, New Delhi Me mber

Shri Sanjeev Sanya l, Susta inab le Plane t Institute, Gurgaon Me mber

Shri Brijesh Kumar, formerly Cha irman, GNOIDA, Grea ter NOIDA Me mb er

Dr. A.N. Sac hithana nd an, President, ITPI, Chenna i Me mb er

Dr.P.K.Moha nty, Add itiona l Sec retary a nd Mission Direc tor

(JNNURM) , Ministry of Housing and Urba n Poverty Alleviation

Member

Convener

3 Issues Identified by the Working GroupThe Working Group on Urban strategic Planning ha s ident ified the following key

prob lem a reas of the urban planning. These a re:


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1. Lac k of integration betwee n spa tial and sec toral planning: Spa tial planning inmany states in India is carried out by town planning departments or

deve lopm ent au thorities. These p lans lay ou t, for the entire urba n a rea s, the

road network, land use zoning and development control regulations. As a

pa rallel proc ess, the state g overnments unde rtake p lanning fo r many sec tors

of development (social and economic) at the state, district and city level.

Most of the sectoral (socio-economic) planning efforts are focused on

program and project formulation and have very weak spatial planning

compo nents. The mo st rec ent a dditions in the c onte xt of urba n de velopment

are the plans required under JNNURM and other GOI programs (City

Deve lopm ent Plan , Comprehensive M ob ility Plan, City Sanitat ion Plan, etc ).

Most of the sectoral (socio-economic) planning efforts are focused on

program and project formulation and have very weak spatial planningcom po nents, if any.

2. Lack of regional approach: the present planning approach focuses on onlythe core area of the city, without proper vision and strategy to integrate the

peri-urban and rural areas within a regional framework. Consequently most

c ities and the ir reg ions are fa c ing serious issues of haphazard deve lopm ent in

the urban periphery, environmental degradation and depletion of natural

resources.

3. Rigid and deterministic plans: The p lanning p roc ess carried o ut throughma ster p lans in Ind ia s c ities is rigid a nd deterministic . It lacks the integration o f

spatial planning (including transportation and land use planning) with

sec toral planning. Master plans have a imed to be too de tailed and therefore,

even after years of plan preparation exercise, zonal plans have not been

com pleted . Resultantly, the growth o f cities has ove rtaken the planners by

surprise and the livability of cities has degraded with unplanned urbanization,

conge stion a nd environmenta l deg rad ation.

4.

Congestion and long commutes: Inefficient public transport systems anddeficient road networks have resulted in poor accessibility, long trip durations

and congestion on the street, not only in within cities, but also in their

extende d pe ri-urba n a rea s.

5. Slums and squatter settlements around industrial estates: Industrialdeve lopm ents are p lanned with little o r no p rovision for the EWS housing


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needs resulting from direct and indirect demand generated by such

development.

6. Rand omly located new developm ents such as SEZs and Townships:The lac kof a regional perspective results in major new developments coming up in

random locations often with unforeseen consequences with respect to

infrastructure adequacy, overcrowding of existing urban centres,

environment and other c onsiderations.

7. Lack of Plan-Finance Linkage:Master Plans in the past have been utopian,

without linkage to any financing and operating strategy. Planned urban

de velopm ent lead s to inc rea ses in ta x ba ses, espe c ially those related to land .

Ma ster p lans d id no t a ddress the financ ing issues in a m ea ningful ma nner as a

result of which plan implementation has lagged behind plan targets

significantly.

8. Lack of institutional clarity: The e xisting institut iona l framew ork for urbanplanning and go vernance do esnt spe c ify c lea rly the roles and respo nsibilities

of the Sta te Government, pa rasta ta ls like Wate r Supply and Sew erag e

Boards, Improveme nt Trusts, Urba n Developme nt Authorities, Distric t Planning

Committee (DPC)/Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) and urban and

rural local governments in plan preparation, implementation, enforcement

and monitoring.

9. Lack of Capacity building and the enabling tools: A major impediment toeffective regional and urban planning system in India is the lack of human

resources, and ena b ling too ls suc h as GIS and GIS-enab led Manage ment

Info rmation Systems (MIS). The p lan p roc ess is of ten not p articipato ry. The lack

of accountability and participation of the people and elected local

government representatives in the planning process also hindered the

effec tiveness of the plan-ma king and imp lementa tion proc esses.

10.Soc ial exc lusion: Current approaches to planning have resulted in a sharpdivide between income groups in terms of access to housing and basic

services. Leg al, mortga ge able o wnership housing has bec ome una fforda ble

and rental markets are underdeveloped, resulting in large sections of the

urban poor having to live in unserviced, unsafe and unmortgageable

housing.


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4 Approac h to Urban Strateg ic PlanningThe Working Group a do pte d the fo llow ing as the key differentiato rs be twe en the

existing approach to planning and the recommended strategic approach to

planning:1. Vision-led:The a pp roa c h should g enerate a qua lita tive vision o f the c ity in

the framework of c ity reg ions future b ased on a sound pa rticipa tory proc ess

to articulate the aspirations and needs of people from all spheres, including

the c ommo n ma n. The fo rmulation of strateg ies evo lved from suc h a vision

will mean a more flexible, responsive and most importantly, an inclusive

p lanning p arad igm. This is a step aw ay from the e xisting p lan-ma king p roc ess

which relies exhaustingly on analysing the past trends, technicalities and

mechanical formulations.2. Comprehensive and integrated: The e xisting systems of d evelopme nt

planning and spatial planning operate on a distinctly disjoint and parallel

fashion with little or no inte rac tion. The p lanning approa ch should a ddress all

sectors of development and spatial planning together in a holistic and

integ rate d fram ework ensuring integ rat ion of sec toral and spa tial planning.

3. Urban rural integration in a regional framework: A strategic approach tourban planning will start with a macro perspective at the national/state level

and then at regional level to guide urbanization and rural development in aninteg rated and holistic m anne r. This com prehensive ap proach should then

eventually pave way for sustainable settlement planning emphasising on

human living environment rather than overtly concentrating on built

environment and the ac com pa nying ad ministrat ive struc tures. It w ill integ rate

top-down and bottom-up ap proaches.

District and Metropolitan Development Plans are envisaged to ensure

integ rate d rural and urba n p lanning. They need to ensure spa tial planning in

a coordinated manner, sharing of natural and other resources, integrated

provision of infrastructure and conservation of the environment. Detailed

planning need s to b e left to the urban a nd rural loc al bodies.


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5 Expec ted Outc omesThe g eneral outcome s that are desired from the rec omm ende d ap proac h of urba n

strateg ic planning a re represented b elow:

The g roup also a rticulated a vision of wha t one wo uld like to see at the end of the

12th FYP period , with respec t to urban strate gic p lanning:

All sta tes in India to have: an effective strategic planning system that promotes plans that are

strategic in nature, vision-led and cater to the future of human

sett lements and reg ions with susta inab le inclusive high g row th

a comprehensive planning legislation mandating such a planningsystem

A planning system incorporates urban land management practicesthat are effective in the supply of planned and serviced land in

tandem with demand for urbanization and leads to growth

management in the p eripheries of c ities

A planning system that mandates holistic regional planning to ensurebalanced development in urban and rural areas, effectively

ma nag ing na tural resources

To have institutional cap ac ity to unde rtake such p lanning proc esses

The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts put the responsibility for planning

on the shoulders of the respec tive loca l bod ies. The CAAs a lso mandate a hierarchy

of g ove rnanc e institutions for rura l, urban and me tropolita n c ontexts. The w orking


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group concurred that any recommendations for revamping the legal framework

and institutional structure for planning have to respect the provisions of the 73rd and

74th CAAs.

Clearly, one c anno t expec t tha t in five yea rs all of India w ill ge t p lanned thoroughly.

Therefore, the key outc om e is to p ut in plac e a fram ework for effec tive planning in

all the states, with some level of consistency in principles and processes across the

country.

6 Urban Strategic Planning: PrinciplesThe Working Group has a lso a rticulated som e b roa d principles of urba n strategic

planning one would like to see within the ove rall fram ework of urba n de velopm ent:

1. Smart Growth: Planning should be based on smart growth principle thatconcentrates growth in select city centres to avoid haphazard urban sprawl

and costly extension o f urba n infrastructure fac ilities to fa r-off a rea s. This

advocates compact, transit-oriented, walk-to-work, bicycle-friendly land use

to the extent possible, including neighbourhood schools, streets and

amenities that cater to everyone; mixed-use development with a range of

housing choice s; and foc us on p ublic transpo rt;

2. Existing Cities - Strategic densifica tion: Cities in India have precariously lowFloor Spac e Index. Sub jec t to d eve lopm ent o f suppo rting infrastructure, there

is need for selective densification of city centres, creating agglomeration

economies and generating resources for financing infrastructure;

3. Sett ing Priorities: Ma ke the best use of ava ilable infrastructure netwo rks orextend the sam e to c rea te susta inab le settleme nt p at terns:

a. Spec ial or strategic foc us on National Priority, State Priority cities andcities that are Generators of Ec onom ic Growth Mom entum. Resourc es

are scarce and they should be directed towards cities that arecapable generating agglomeration economies and inclusive

ec onomic growth faster.

4. Development of (i) New cities along the National Transport/ Industrial GrowthCorridors (Golden Quadrilateral and other Corridors) forming the national

spatial grid structure, (ii) Ring towns connec ted with major growing c ities by


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limited access high speed rad ial and orbita l transpo rt ne tworks such a s MTRS

and BRTS and (ii) Twin-c ities - High spe ed c ommute r rail connec tivity betwee n

large primate city and growing secondary cities (e.g., between Bengaluru

and Mysore) located within the distance of 100-200 km.

5. Regional and urban planning as an instrument for guiding inclusive growth spatial and development planning should cover metropolitan regions,

p lanning a rea s of c ities (ma y be 5-8 kilome ters a round existing large c ities, say

those with more than 3 lakh population transportation networks to be

central piec es of planning to lea d deve lop ment.

6. Integrated Land use and transport planning to optimise the functional andspa tial linkage s be twe en housing, wo rkplac es and com merc ial areas; enab le

cities to harness the benefits and agglomeration and minimise congestion;

ad op t trip red uc tion zoning a nd densific at ion of transit no de s and c orridors inaddition to conservation of natural and heritage resources as part of the

planning pa rad igm .

7. Planning in consonance with the income distribution structure of the cityregion with the urban poor located near public transport nodes/links and

providing space for the urban poor in master plans for living, selling and

wo rking - at c ity, zone and loc a l levels.

8. Effective land ma nag ement in which growth is enabled to generateresources for planned urba n deve lopment.

9. Strengthening the Institutiona l frame wo rk for reg iona l and urban p lanningadopting the regime of 74th CAA

10.Creating c apa c ity at c ity/ tow n, sta te, c entral and institutiona l level for spa tialand soc io-eco nomic de velopment planning.

7 Existing a c tors/ cata lysts and rec ommenda tionsAfter delineating an approach with essential underlying principles that should form

the c rux for an integ rated urba n p lanning fram ew ork and strong p olic y, the Working

Group has looked at the efforts that have already been made in this direction. It is

alwa ys contende d tha t efforts so far in India ha ve been frac tional and d isag grega te

in approach. Any sound strategy making and policy guiding framework enlists the


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prior efforts and the success of their intended benefits, inventories the gaps and

disconnection between them and paves way for a process that strongly perceives

the existing me rits be fore em ba rking on rec ommenda tions.

Some o f the efforts that have had a strong influence in struc turing urba n p lanning

and development are:

At na tional leve l:

i. National highwaysii. Railwa y c onnec tivityiii. Freight c orridorsiv. Golden Quadrilateral DMIC

At sta te leve l:

i. Sta te highw aysii. Tow n and Country Planning Organ isa tioniii. Sta te Planning Boa rd

At reg iona l leve l:

i. Met rop olita n/Distric t Planning Com mitteesii. Developm ent Autho ritiesiii. Unified Metropo lita n Transport Autho rityiv. Master Plans for 20 -25 years

At Municipa l level

i. Ward comm ittees and Area Sab hasii. City Develop ment Plansiii. Ma ster p lansiv. Cit y Sanita tion Plans

All the abo ve listed initiat ives in the fo rm of e ither institutions or tang ible ac tions p lans

p lay a key role in the field of urba n de velop ment. They a re a ll key players in the a rea

of urban planning by either initiating the processes, providing supporting

me c hanisms or by g iving nec essary thrust to the proc ess of urba nisa tion.

In addition to the above, a number of other initiatives have been taken to

com pliment them. At the na tiona l leve l, the Delhi Mum ba i Industria l Corridor is a sp in

off project of the Golden Quadrilateral initiative.An initiative of this scale weighing


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the ad vanta ges brought forth by the p roject and the p lan to provide further imp etus

to urban growth banking on the connectivity between the two most important

urban as we ll as ec ono mic cent res in Ind ia is a sound spatial planning d ec ision. To

ensure an overall cohesive policy for urbanisation and urban planning in India, it is

nec essary to ha ve a National Spa tial Strateg y indentifying po tential growth centres

and areas with need fo r de veloping new urba n centres.

7.1 Rec omme nda tions to Gove rnment of IndiaStrategic Plan Preparation

1. Prepare a National Spa tial Strategy cove ring National Transpo rtation Gridsand National Priority Cities, proposed new cities along emerging industrial

and high-tec h Growth C orrido rs/ Transpo rta tion Grids c onnec ted to central

cities with a high speed rail network and likely to generate agglomeration

forc es. The strateg y should d efine the broad morpho logy o f the future

urbanization needs - with existing cities, their peripheral extensions and new

c ities to be de velope d along the g row th/ transpo rt c orrido rs. The new c ities on

growth corridors need to be located near existing large/metropolitan

c ities/ growth c entres connec ted withhigh-spee d transit networks so tha t they

can take advantages of the agglomeration forces. Development of new

cities will require a range of fiscal incentives, industrial location policy and

development transit networks high speed rail network along the proposed

highw ay d evelop ment c orrido rs.

Given that about 150 million of the urban population is in the 50 million plus

cities of India, national strategy for urbanisation should include a regional

view to planning, especially in districts with metropolitan cities where the

pressure of the city is felt keenly on the surrounding region. A major metro

attracts the bulk of migration and highway corridor development all around

it. If the reg ion is planne d and de velope d proac tively, satellite towns around

such magnet cities can become catchment areas for further urbanisation.

Suc h a strate gy d istribu tes the pressure, and increa ses the a b ility to provide

for a better qua lity of life overall.


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These Satellite c ities ma y be loca ted o n the b asis of the paramete rs such as

Potential for economic sustainability, existing road / rail networks, existing and

antic ipa ted infrastruc ture, espe c ially wa ter and po we r, Strateg ic locat ion for

rura l ac cess, Existing soc ial infrastruc tureand Low environmental impact.

2. Provide a major thrust to Regional and Urban Planning and preparation ofDistric t, Metropo litan and City Spa tial and Deve lopment Plans through

strateg ic guidelines and financ ial support. The regiona l p lans ma y be in the

form o f structure plans.

3. Strategic Densification of Cities. The density regulat ions in Ind ian c ities a rearchaic and dont address the needs of the present day demands of the

urban soc iety. In fa c t, Indian c ities have the lowe st Floor Space Index (FSI) in

the w orld. Strateg ic de nsific ation a s a planning strateg y need to be pursued

to accommodate future urbanisation. Government of India may introduce

incentives that encourage states and cities to pursue this strategy for future

urban development. However, this strategy needs to go hand in hand with

infrastruc ture de velopm ent within the c ity fa c ilita ted by flexible zoning.

4. Urban Renewal and Regeneration: Polic y should p rovide broad fram ework tofacilitate the process of urban regeneration/ renewal within the generic

principle tha t the grow th w ould pay for itself. This wo uld require a flexible

planning a pp roa ch and seed cap ital supp ort.

Key Points: Planning Co mmission should supp ort the prep aration of the National Spa tial

Strate gy with a de d ica ted Spat ial Planning Division. Simila r divisions shou ld b e esta b lished in


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Ministry of Urban Development and Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation to

provide supp ort to t he stat es.

Financ ing o f Plan Prepa ration & Implementation

5.

Assist National Priority Cities to create regional and urban planning capacityunder New Improved JNNURM and prepare strategic plans with 100 per cent

funding from the Centre.

6. Assist State Priority Cities GEM c ities to create regional and urban planningcapacity under New Improved JNNURM and prepare strategic plans with 50

per cent funding from the Centre and 50 percent from State .

The c ities have to b e selec ted ba sed on o bjec tive c riteria throug h expert

com mittees involving the Ce ntral and Sta te Gove rnme nts. The p lans must have aclear financing and operating plan clubbing own resources, state share,

cent ral sha re a nd institutiona l financ e/ PPP.

Tec hnical and Cap ac ity Building Suppo rt

7. Government of India need to invest in a program for developing a set ofvendors of planning services who can conform to the requisite standards

anywhere in the country. A large number of planning firms already exist in the

count ry as a result of the ma rket c rea ted by JNNURM d uring the last 5-6 yea rs.Their cap ac ities can be built up and enhanced throug h NIJNNURM.

8. A ma jor program o n capa c ity b uilding a nd networkingneed to b e launchedby the Government of India to strengthen technical capacity of existing

planning institutions of states, and create on-line and off-line platforms to

share knowledg e netwo rk on spatial planning. The Working Group end orsed

the recommendations of the High Powered Expert Committee for estimating

the investme nt req uirement.k. Set ting up o f five Indian Institutes of Urban Manage me nt, which c ould

be standalone institutions of excellence.

l. Create a Reform a nd Performanc e Mana ge ment Ce ll (RPMC) in theGovernment of India (and at state level and in large cities) with a

multidisc iplinary tea m und ertaking a c tivities like:


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m.Promote think tank initiatives in urban policy through Centres ofExce llenc e/ Innovation in existing institutions

n. Dec lare lea d ing institutions as Centres of Exce llenc eo. Crea te a Schem e fo r fund ing Strate gic (Spa tial) Planning Resea rc h

through Centres of Exce llenc e

p. Create an a nnual forum for sharing o f resea rch outc omesq. Establish new schools of planning and enhance capacity of existing

ones

r. Producing new breed of professionals and training the resources whoare a lrea dy c arrying out these func tions.

s. Fund ing fo r tra ining & c ertific at ion of in-servic e p ersonnel as we ll as forprod uc ing more planning professiona ls

t. Funding for creation of state level data infrastructure for planningshould be provided under NIJNNURM

10% of New JNNURM central allocation may be earmarked for capacity building

and prepa rat ion of M etropo litan Develop ment a nd City Strateg ic Plans. To sta rt w ith,

strategic plans should be p rep ared for all Nat ional and Sta te Priority Cities and GEM

cities (in a phased manner). An expert committee jointly coordinated by the

Ministries of Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation

supp orted by a full-fled ged tec hnical ce ll may guide the c ap ac ity building and plan

preparation processes.

It is essentially national level initiatives that paved way for the initial development of

urban set tleme nts in different sta tes in the c ount ry w ith infrastructure provision. It w as

late r in 1970s tha t a ma jority of sta tes set up Tow n & Country Planning orga nisa tions

rea lising the nee d for a c oo rdinating a nd plan ma king a uthority a t Sta te level. State

Planning boards which were functional in many states by that time continue to

progress with their initial objectives of supporting development programmes and

preparing sectoral plan documents linking the Planning Commission functions at

Centre to state level even today. As it has already been suggested that spatial

planning division may be introduced in the Planning Commission in the earlier

rec ommenda tion, it nec essary that the sam e linkage be esta blished at Sta te level.


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The existing TCPOs wo uld b e a b le to rend er the nec essary te chnica l expertise

req uired for the Sta te Planning Boards to devise Sta te level Spa tial Develop ment

Plans.

Further, important initiatives are required to be taken at this level to serve two

objectives. One being, bringing forth of necessary changes for smooth transfer of

planning func tions to the loc al b od ies and sec ond be ing the transfer proce ss itself.

The fo llow ing set of rec ommenda tions are in respo nse to bo th the ob jec tives:

7.2 Rec om me nda tions to StatesLegal Framework

9. Revise the nomenclature of Master Plan to Spatial Development Plan(SDP) The c urrent m ost c om mo n term used for the p lan for c ities is ma ster

plan which is both limited in outc ome and over-bea ring in pe rception a nd

presc ription. The m ore approp ria te term would be spatial development

plan w hic h ca ptures bo th the develop ment aspec t as well as the spatial

aspe c t of the p ower of the plan. This nomenc lature is imp ortant to provide

foc us on what t he p lan is to d eliver. It c ap tures the soc io-ec ono mic

developmentplanning prevailing in rural plans, along with the spatial land

use zoning tha t ha s be en thepredo minant foc us of urban p lans.

10.States to revise Town and Country Planning , Urba n Deve lopment a ndMunicipal Acts to respond to the challenges of urbanization and to policy

thinking appropriate to the times based on principles of urban strategic

planning

Town a nd Country Planning Ac ts

While a ll sta tes, with the excep tion o f Rajastha n sta te and the Union Territory

(UT) of Lakshadweep have enac ted p lanning legislation in the form of Tow n

and Country Planning Acts, different states adopted planning legislation at

different points in time. Most state Planning Acts are legacy legislature

adopted from colonial influence, guided in part by two Model Acts brought

out b y the M inistry of Urba n Development GoI: the Mod el Tow n and Country


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Planning Law o f 1960; the m od el Reg ional and Tow n Planning a nd

Deve lopm ent Law of 1966 and its update o f 1985. The g raph be low show s the

va riation in timelines of Ac t no tifica tion o f the 28 Sta tes and 7 UTs. As is

evident in the graph, the Acts vary in age going back as far as 1915 for the

erstwhile Bom bay Presidenc y. These p lanning Ac ts nee d to b e reviewe d a nd

revised to address the current challenges of urbanisation as well as to reflect

recent policy recommendations strengthening regional decentralization and

c itizen pa rticipa tion.

Munic ipal Ac ts

Since, the mo st important solution to urba n planning and loc al de velopm ent

issues has been long established as decentralised planning (with local level

planning initiatives at municipal level), it is essential to entrench Planning

funct ions and ob ject ives into the municipa l system . Introd uc tion of Town

Planning as one of the 18 functions of municipalities may have recognised the

need for such a practice, but its implementation requires more emphasis on

me thods of its op erationalisat ion. The Municipa l Acts of d ifferent sta tes seldo m

desc ribe the step s involved in preparing the Deve lopm ent / Ma ster Plan . The

much recent Model Municipal Act of 2003 also fails to sufficiently elaborate on

the Develop me nt Plan prep ara tion proc ess. It is temp ting to rely on Tow n and

Country Planning Act or its sister versions like Urban Planning and Development

Ac ts when it c ome s to the aspe c ts of Spa tial Planning a s the Ac ts are muc h

recent and have more or less incorporated the basic concepts of physical

planning, if not in entirety. This ma y count a ga inst the more a nc ient, rep ea ted -

amendments-wearied Municipal Acts. But, if we are ascribing spatial planning


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social development priorities and budgetary allocations, which will be an

input d oc ument fo r the p lans of the lower levels of g overnment.

The ma in duties of the Boa rd towa rds fac ilitating the lowe r levels of p lans

inc lude inter alia:

Overseeing that spatial development plans for the state are preparedin a t imely manner as presc ribed ;

Approving plans of DPCs and MPCs; preparing plans by default whenthe re is no a c ting Planning Autho rity; and

Ac ting a s arbitrator for co nflic ting land uses be tween plans.The Sta te Tow n Country Planning Dep artment (TCPD) ma y provide te chnica l

Assista nc e to the Sta te Planning Boa rd to deliver its duties and a lso a ssign

technica l resources to the sec retariat o f the DPC/ MPC. The role of the

sec retariat to the DPCs ma y be a ssigned to the Zilla Panc hayat. The

constitution of the Board can be structured to ensure appropriate political

rep resenta tion, with the Sta te Minister for Planning a s the Cha irperson, a nd

the Princ iple Sec reta ry, Planning as Sec reta ry to the SPB.

The strateg ic plan o f the Boa rd must b e no tified in a time-bound pe riod so a s

to provide direction to the planning of the lower tiers of districts and localbo d ies urban and rural. The rec om me ndations of the Sta te Planning Boa rd

must d rive the investment p riorities of the Sta te Plann ing Com mission (SPC).

The Cha irperson of the SPB should be p art of the SPC so tha t there is informe d

decision making on the investment priorities based on the spatial

deve lopm ent p lan of the SPB.

Tec hnical assistanc e to the SPB

A Tec hnica l Com mittee (TC) m ay be set up to assist the SPB in preparing theSta te SDP. The PS of the Sta te Plann ing Ministry would b e the C ha irman o f the

TC a nd p lays the role of the Sec reta ry to the SPB. The Chief Tow n Planner

(CTP) is the me mb er sec retary of the TC a nd provides the req uired support on

planning to the TC.


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Points to Note:

The PS Planning is no t a me mb er sec reta ry in the SPB and ha s no vo ting rights. The PS Planning isalso the C ha irpe rson o f the TC.

The C TP repo rts to the Cha irperson of t he TC, a nd the Cha irpe rson of t he TC rep orts to the SPB

The role o f the CTP and TCPD as the tec hnica l support to the sta te m ust be streng thened withadequate resources and a formal role for input into development of Urban and Regional

Planning Institutions, with a Spec ial Committe e set up to a ddress the urge nt nee d fo r suc h

estab lishing suc h Institut ions.

12. Rec ognize a 3-tier footprint to the Spa tial Developm ent Plans: Reg ion; Loc al;Sub-loc al, where the regional plan integrates urba n and rural deve lopm ent.

The c ity ca n no long er be v iewed in isola tion whe n prep aring p lans. The inter-

linkag es betw een the core a nd the peripheries need to b e p art of the p lanpreparation. Greenfield airports that service travel needs of the core and

periphery areas, regional transport linkages between cities and villages, agro

production in the region that provide grain and vegetables, water sources

that are shared between settlements, land fill sites that hold the waste of

urban consumption, rural land for the expanding population and expanding

ec onom ics all these require a planning foo tp rint tha t go es be yond the c ity.

The d efinition of this reg ion fo r planning c anno t be left op en-ende d , andma y be cate goric ally de fined by the d istric t / metropolitan area b ounda ry, so

that it is in consonance with the provision in the 74th Amendment of the

Constitution of India . The d istric t p rovides political and administrative log ic,

and planning for the region must therefore be for the area of the d istrict.


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Based upon the overall development controls for the l

wg_rep_urban_wg

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